Advice for people new to training and fitness...

[CrazyR]

in recent times one of the latest fads has been to adopt a low-carb diet, particulary if you are trying to lose fat

you need to be very cautious about adopting diets which try to eliminate certain types of food from your system - rather as i have said before its not about going on a 'diet' but about 'lifestyle change' - something you can adopt long-term rather than short, thats why i always steer away from them

heres a good link to some popular 'fad' diets and their advantages and disadvantages.
more information on these diets can also be found here


so what about carbs? should you be cutting back?

Firstly and most importantly carbs will NOT make you fat. Essentially it is excess calories which cause you to gain fat. With all these low-carb diets around many people have become to associate carbs with fat and try to eradicate it from their diet in fear - doing so would cause more harm then good. Here are 2 links which discuss the myth of carbs turning to fat: Link1 and Link2

But will low-carbs help you lose fat?

This is a constant debate amongst many people. I have never bought the theories behind low-carb diets and have been able to lose fat wothout adopting them but i'm not going to go so far as saying that they provide no benefit - some people appear to have had results from them (although you need to bear in mind that these diets often advocate low calories which could be the cause of fat reduction rather than low-carbs).

here's a good link to the advantages and disadvantages of ketosis (the principle behind most low-carb diets).

there are numerous discussions on these forums regarding low-carb diets so for various views try searching for them... here are a handful of them to get started:
Discussion 1
Discussion 2
Discussion 3
Discussion 4
Discussion 5


Two points that are important to consider when adopting a low-carb diet are:

1. Carboydrates provide an important energy source for your body and brain - cutting back on this source will leave you sluggish and tired.

2. You run the risk of losing muscle as low-carb intake can result in low glycogen levels which leads to muscle catabolism (loss).


There are mountains of information out there so my best advice is research them thoroughly before forming an opinion.

I have had plenty of success on a moderate to high carb eating plan both in terms of fat loss and muscle gain so can personally recommend and testify that it works.

[abarlament]

Likewise, I am proof that a low carb plan works. Ketosis is a great tool to induce fat loss. I used the cyclical ketogenic diet, which has a carb load on the weekends to fill muscle glycogen back up. Liver glycogen is filled only at one point during the week, before the Friday workout. After that, liver glycogen is not filled (no fructose).

[CrazyR]

often overlooked but one of the keys to successful training (especially weight training) is your pre and post-workout nutrition.

what your pre/post workout nutrition consists of will vary depending on your goals - especially when comparing fat loss to muscle gain, but here are some basic guidelines.

Pre-workout nutritition

for muscle gain: a pre-workout energy boost is essential in ensuring you push yourself to the max. carbs! carbs! carbs!
a common guideline suggests about 50g carbs/14g protien around 1 hour before a workout. i generally have an energy/protein bar 1hr prior and sip on a high-carb drink such as gatorade during my workout.

for fat loss: you don't want to consume too much carbs prior to your workout because your body could rely solely on them to provide energy for your workout rather than fat stores.
however this will mean that your energy levels will be lower and your workouts may not be as intense as they could be so you need to ensure that during the day of your workout you are consuming enough low-GI carbs to see you fuelled with energy.


Post-workout nutrition

This is especially critical to muscle building. Training depletes the glycogen levels in your body/muscles. Too much depletion could result in muscle catabolism (loss) and certainly make it harder for your body to recover for your next workout.

Immediately after your workout you need to ingest high-GI carbs to replenish your glycogen levels. The quickest way is generally in the form of a liquid carb such as a sports drink.

Within an hour or two of your workout you also want to ingest a carb/protein meal to again help replenish your glycogen, provide nutrients to your body/muscles and assist in growth and recovery.

what do i do? immediately after a workout i drink a high-carb sports drink (i add some glucose powder to increase the carb level). within 15-30minutes i drink a high-carb protein shake. within 1-2hours i eat a high carb/protein meal (usally my dinner because i tend to workout at nights)

don't neglect your post-workout nutrition!!!


For a good article and more details on workout nutrition read here.

keep hungry for that knowledge!!

[CrazyR]

just a little thing i recommend to most people.... keep an open mind when it comes to fitness ideas and techniques

its often about experimentation and learning about what works for you

recently i've come across alot of people who aren't interested in listening because they already know the way to workout

as i've said before there is no one way

at the very least open your mind to hear ideas and to discuss them before rejecting them